The launch window opens June 17 at 2:39 a.m. EDT, with ASTS confirming that the satellites are fully encapsulated and secured inside Falcon 9 ahead of liftoff.
- BlueBird satellites 8, 9, and 10 await launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
- The new satellites feature 2,400-square-foot arrays and could deliver nearly double Block 1 peak speeds.
- Investors are also eyeing Japan's $1 billion J-LEO project, where AST and SpaceX-backed teams are leading contenders.
Shares of AST SpaceMobile (ASTS) jumped over 3% overnight late Tuesday as three new BlueBird satellites sit atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket awaiting launch, marking the company's first deployment since April's BlueBird 7 setback.
ASTS stock slid 6% on Wednesday to end at $82.25. Leveraged ASTS traders got a boost overnight, with the Tradr 2X Long ASTS Daily ETF (ASTX) climbing 6%.
The company’s launch also comes as investor appetite for space stocks gets a boost from SpaceX's (SPCX) red-hot market debut. SPCX shares jumped 5% Tuesday, extending gains to 50% above their IPO price just three trading sessions after listing. SpaceX now ranks among the six largest publicly traded U.S. companies.
BlueBird 8-10 Launch Window Opens
The launch window for BlueBirds 8, 9 and 10 opens June 17 at 2:39 a.m. EDT from Cape Canaveral, Florida, as ASTS continues building its direct-to-cell satellite constellation to connect standard smartphones from space."T-Minus: BlueBirds 8, 9, and 10 are Go for Launch aboard Falcon 9," the company said in a post on X.
ASTS said late Monday that BlueBirds 8-10 had completed encapsulation and are now secured inside Falcon 9 ahead of launch. The satellites are expected to expand AST's growing network while bringing additional capacity and faster speeds to its direct-to-device platform. "Our upcoming launch marks another important milestone as we continue advancing the deployment of our space-based cellular broadband network," President Scott Wisniewski said.
ASTS BlueBirds Aim To Boost Network Capacity
The new satellites feature deployable arrays spanning 2,400 square feet, making them among the largest commercial communications arrays ever deployed in low-Earth orbit. The company expects the latest BlueBird satellites to deliver nearly double the peak data speeds achieved by its initial Block 1 satellites. Earlier this year, AST reported download speeds of 98.9 Mbps directly to standard, unmodified smartphones.
Investors are also watching whether the launch helps keep AST on pace with its broader constellation rollout plans. CEO Abel Avellan recently said the company remains "on target" to deploy 45 satellites this year despite launch risks and growing competition in the direct-to-device market.
ASTS Eyes Major Japan Opportunity
The Falcon 9 mission comes as investors await another potential catalyst from Japan's J-LEO satellite communications initiative, a 150 billion yen ($1 billion) project to create a domestically controlled direct-to-cell satellite network. According to Japanese media reports, a Rakuten Mobile-AST SpaceMobile alliance and a KDDI-SpaceX consortium have emerged as the leading contenders for the award, with a decision expected before the end of June.
The project is expected to provide nationwide smartphone connectivity, including during disasters and emergencies, by 2029.
How Do Retail Traders Feel About ASTS?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment for ASTS was ‘extremely bullish’ amid ‘extremely high’ message volume.
One user said, “By the end of year we're projected to have over 4x the satellites in orbit. That's almost 2 launches per month for the rest of the year. Pretty ambitious! Let's just start with success tonight and the Commissiong of 8,9, and 10. Big baby steps baby! Fingers crossed!”
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Another user said, “$ASTX $ASTS playing ASTX as a leveraged play on a successful Launch and "Tuna Can to Waffle" deployment tomorrow!”
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ASTS stock has surged 96% over the past year.
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